Ok I know it has been over a month since I have posted. So sorry about that. Things have been busy and I guess I didn't have the gusto to keep writing. After the last hospital admission, things have been different. She turned right around and had more of the same pain the day after leaving, this time moving to her foot instead of hip. Then it went to her knee. After a few trips to ER for pain and fever, we finally made it back to clinic where they said it is most likely just neuropathy pain and they prescribed her some meds for that. They pain continued over the next three weeks during her two week break from chemo. It came and went and moved around. She stopped getting fever though and after that one really bad week, we had a couple of good weeks. Then it was time to start chemo back up.
They started back at the 75% level of Vincristine again. She did well. The next week she went up to the 100% since her voice was still doing great. The next day her nerve pain issue stopped. So after a few days I backed of the nerve meds a bit and then just stopped them all together. Her pain has not come back. That is awesome. Her weight is up a pound, stomach pain is gone, voice is great, nerve pain gone, and no night terrors!!! Things have been great, just one trip to ER last week for fever and then home. Counts have been awesome!
Showing posts with label xray. Show all posts
Showing posts with label xray. Show all posts
Saturday, 11 May 2013
Friday, 5 April 2013
Admission to Hospital
So, we got to the ER and Taylor was whinning in the car and she didn't walk to walk and it hurt her leg when I carried her but I was not about to drag that huge stroller around all over the hospital. So we made it inside and again were told to wait in the conference room, but not even a minute later the nurse came and got us. Vitals were taken and she was up to 103.4. Then with Tylenol it went down to 99.8. They wanted urine, but she would not go. She did not want to move. So many different nurses and doctors came in and out wanting to check her leg/hip pain and find out what was going on. We waited around forever!!! Taylor would never pee, and they needed that test done. While we waited, the doctors were still trying to figure out what was going on. I asked about t just being a pulled muscle and she said that kids don't really get those, it is not common. They think it has something to do with a virus or bacteria. They had her get an ultrasound to help diagnosis. It came back good. They took her blood and it came back good. Later, her fever came back. They were about to give us the antibiotic and send us home like normal, but then the head Doc was too concerned about her odd pain, so she wanted more xrays. So she went for more xrays. They came back good. The doctors had lots of talks about Taylor's situation all night long, lots of different kinds of doctors. They decided she needed an MRI so we were admitted to the hospital at 11pm and she was cutoff all fluids and food.
Taylor was still very tired and didn't want people touching her leg, but of course more ppl came in to do so. An orthopedic doc came and examined her and talked about what could be the problem and why we were getting an MRI. They said it could be sepsis or bone infection. If it was the latter then it would mean surgery to dig the infection out of the bone since antibiotics do not work on those. I did not like the sound of that. We got all comfy in the room and Taylor got antibiotics and pain med and her normal meds. In the morning, it took a while but we finally were told the MRI would be at 12:30. Taylor was really thirsty and hungry and crying because she couldn't have anything. A whole doctor team came in to go over the run down of Taylor. It was neat, like being in an episode of Scrubs; all the docs standing around with their clipboards listening. I was impressed with all the info they went through and nailed. They helped fill me in on their thoughts and plan while they were there. Then more waiting. It was a long wait, but thankfully they got us down like an hour early! That was awesome. My husband met me for lunch while we waited for MRI. She was out within 2 hrs and she wanted her popsicle. We got back to the room and waited on results. No news, was good news because if they saw something bad they would have called while she was still under so that they could do what they needed to do with my permission. It took forever to finally hear anything though.
It took a while, but a couple hours after the MRI Taylor was fully out of it. She was actually feeling better than she was. So that was nice. She ate some snack and watched tv. Her leg seemed a bit better too. We finally got word that the MRI was good. They didn't see what they were looking for. But they did see some inflammation in her muscle. They said that it could be either myolitis (?) which is from like a virus or bacteria stuck in the muscle, or that it is a strained muscle. So it was nothing serious. It would eventually go away. The plan was to give her pain med scheduled regularly to help her.
By the end of the day, she was feeling much better. She was walking around, slowly with limp (a twist in her hip), she was sitting up and talking. She seemed good. We were hoping to go home but the docs said they wanted to watch her pain and see if the fever returned or not. So we had to stay another night. By that night, she was doing so well that the nurse and I decided she didn't need pain med and she went without it. We had a great night's sleep and in the morning Taylor was feeling perfect. Ortho came in at 6 to check her and he said she was perfect and that we should not be here much longer!
At 9am we still hadn't seen a doctor or nurse (besides her vitals being checked).. I mean what is going on? I went to grab some breakfast at like 9:30. Around 11 we finally saw a team of docs and they checked out Taylor and they were going to send us home with antibiotic for her to take but after seeing her they say there isn't really any sign of the myolitis. So she went to have paperwork done up for us to leave. At 11:45 she comes back and says there is a change of plans. She ran into the infectious disease doc and he wants to see Taylor first, because he thinks she should still take the antibiotic. So paperwork put on hold while we waited yet again. They said he should be on the way. While we waited Taylor took a little nap. A while after she woke up, she diarrheaed all over the place. It was a huge blowout mess that called for a change of sheets, clothes, and a sponge bath. Finally, at 1:45 a doc from ID came and checked Taylor out. Then she left to consult with the ID team. I finally ordered Taylor some lunch and I went down to get myself something to eat. I was starving!!! Then, at 2:45 the whole ID team shows up. Taylor was fully herself at this point, wide awake and all over the place. They saw a happy, healthy, silly, energetic 4 yr old. Oh my was she feeling good. They say they want Taylor to take the antibiotic over the next 2 wks since it could be a bacteria causing the problems and they want to be safe. They think the antibiotics are what helped her get better while she was here. So they left and put the scrip in for the med and to get her papers ready so we could be released. We waited around a while for the order so that the nurse could take out her port access. Finally at 4:00 the nurse came to de-access her and we were out of there... Hit the pharmacy at the hospital on the way out and were driving away by 4:20... of course it was traffic hour, and we had to stop at walgreens as well, but we were home by 5:15, just in time to unpack, rest a bit, feed the baby, and have the meal our friends brought us. Now it is time to get her ready for bed, hopefully nothing else eventful happens.
Taylor was still very tired and didn't want people touching her leg, but of course more ppl came in to do so. An orthopedic doc came and examined her and talked about what could be the problem and why we were getting an MRI. They said it could be sepsis or bone infection. If it was the latter then it would mean surgery to dig the infection out of the bone since antibiotics do not work on those. I did not like the sound of that. We got all comfy in the room and Taylor got antibiotics and pain med and her normal meds. In the morning, it took a while but we finally were told the MRI would be at 12:30. Taylor was really thirsty and hungry and crying because she couldn't have anything. A whole doctor team came in to go over the run down of Taylor. It was neat, like being in an episode of Scrubs; all the docs standing around with their clipboards listening. I was impressed with all the info they went through and nailed. They helped fill me in on their thoughts and plan while they were there. Then more waiting. It was a long wait, but thankfully they got us down like an hour early! That was awesome. My husband met me for lunch while we waited for MRI. She was out within 2 hrs and she wanted her popsicle. We got back to the room and waited on results. No news, was good news because if they saw something bad they would have called while she was still under so that they could do what they needed to do with my permission. It took forever to finally hear anything though.
It took a while, but a couple hours after the MRI Taylor was fully out of it. She was actually feeling better than she was. So that was nice. She ate some snack and watched tv. Her leg seemed a bit better too. We finally got word that the MRI was good. They didn't see what they were looking for. But they did see some inflammation in her muscle. They said that it could be either myolitis (?) which is from like a virus or bacteria stuck in the muscle, or that it is a strained muscle. So it was nothing serious. It would eventually go away. The plan was to give her pain med scheduled regularly to help her.
By the end of the day, she was feeling much better. She was walking around, slowly with limp (a twist in her hip), she was sitting up and talking. She seemed good. We were hoping to go home but the docs said they wanted to watch her pain and see if the fever returned or not. So we had to stay another night. By that night, she was doing so well that the nurse and I decided she didn't need pain med and she went without it. We had a great night's sleep and in the morning Taylor was feeling perfect. Ortho came in at 6 to check her and he said she was perfect and that we should not be here much longer!
At 9am we still hadn't seen a doctor or nurse (besides her vitals being checked).. I mean what is going on? I went to grab some breakfast at like 9:30. Around 11 we finally saw a team of docs and they checked out Taylor and they were going to send us home with antibiotic for her to take but after seeing her they say there isn't really any sign of the myolitis. So she went to have paperwork done up for us to leave. At 11:45 she comes back and says there is a change of plans. She ran into the infectious disease doc and he wants to see Taylor first, because he thinks she should still take the antibiotic. So paperwork put on hold while we waited yet again. They said he should be on the way. While we waited Taylor took a little nap. A while after she woke up, she diarrheaed all over the place. It was a huge blowout mess that called for a change of sheets, clothes, and a sponge bath. Finally, at 1:45 a doc from ID came and checked Taylor out. Then she left to consult with the ID team. I finally ordered Taylor some lunch and I went down to get myself something to eat. I was starving!!! Then, at 2:45 the whole ID team shows up. Taylor was fully herself at this point, wide awake and all over the place. They saw a happy, healthy, silly, energetic 4 yr old. Oh my was she feeling good. They say they want Taylor to take the antibiotic over the next 2 wks since it could be a bacteria causing the problems and they want to be safe. They think the antibiotics are what helped her get better while she was here. So they left and put the scrip in for the med and to get her papers ready so we could be released. We waited around a while for the order so that the nurse could take out her port access. Finally at 4:00 the nurse came to de-access her and we were out of there... Hit the pharmacy at the hospital on the way out and were driving away by 4:20... of course it was traffic hour, and we had to stop at walgreens as well, but we were home by 5:15, just in time to unpack, rest a bit, feed the baby, and have the meal our friends brought us. Now it is time to get her ready for bed, hopefully nothing else eventful happens.
Wednesday, 6 February 2013
Chemo Day 2
So she went all day yesterday without eating anything! She still had only the itsy bitsy bowel movement as well. Last night she was able to sleep in her own bed, which was nice. She still woke up a few times crying and fussing but for the most part was not too loud or long and she was able to calm herself. I did find her on my floor this morning again though. She was feeling good this morning. She ate some breakfast. She also had diarrhea all morning. Fun times! It seems she was not constipated after all. Her stomach has probably just been hurting due to the chemo and there really isn't anything we can do about that.
The kids and I left for the hospital and it was pretty busy this morning. Every time we go, they need to access her port for all the meds and for blood work. Well, they have to stick a needle in it to do that... they gave us this numbing cream to put on her before each visit so that it doesn't hurt so much. Well, I forgot about the cream this morning. Bad mommy! There are so many things to remember to do, ergh. But they used a numbing spray to help, even though it is not as effective. Taylor hates them accessing her port. It hurts. Poor thing! It took a while to get in a room and then after telling the Doc all about how Taylor is doing, they decided they need to get an xray of the tummy to make sure nothing is going on. So we had to go downstairs for a bit to get that. We were in and out of the xray room in like 20 min and back upstairs. We had more waiting around and then they let us know all her labs and reports came back fine and that nothing was obstructing her stomach. Though she did have a lot of gas. They said the miralax should be stopped and that it was probably causing the gas since she had so much yesterday. Finally it was chemo time, and that hour went by pretty fast. About maybe 20 min into it, Taylor started complaining about her tummy hurting. That seems like confirmation of the chemo making her tummy hurt. But other than a complaint here or there, she did great. While we were there the kids and I played 3 games of candy land, watched some volunteers do a science experiment, played other games, (I) caught up on words with friends, and they watched tv. The Doc gave us a real prescription for the magic mouthwash and some pain medicine. Those will come in handy. By the time we were done, it was 1:40 and we were starving for lunch. So we grabbed some food in the food court. Taylor also ate snack and a little bit of lunch today. So that is good. And then we were off.
She is still complaining of her tummy here and there. She ate a small dinner and played and watched tv. Soon after she went to bed, she was awake crying again. Ugh, I was hoping she would be okay tonight. We gave her the nausea medicine this morning and this afternoon. So she has not thrown up at all, which is good. This waking up thing is so weird. it is almost like she keept having nightmares. She starts screaming out something and crying and moaning and wiggling. Sometimes even scratching her legs or something. Sort of like she is hurt and/or scared or all itchy or something. Sometimes it is small outburts, and other times big outburts. Sometimes it us just really quick and others long and drawn out where I need to tend to her. It is not fun for anyone... poor thing. I can't imagine what she feels like. Once again, I moved her to my bed to spare the other girls from being awakened.
All in all, things are okay. We are making it through everything without major problems. Hopefully this week is less eventful than last.
The kids and I left for the hospital and it was pretty busy this morning. Every time we go, they need to access her port for all the meds and for blood work. Well, they have to stick a needle in it to do that... they gave us this numbing cream to put on her before each visit so that it doesn't hurt so much. Well, I forgot about the cream this morning. Bad mommy! There are so many things to remember to do, ergh. But they used a numbing spray to help, even though it is not as effective. Taylor hates them accessing her port. It hurts. Poor thing! It took a while to get in a room and then after telling the Doc all about how Taylor is doing, they decided they need to get an xray of the tummy to make sure nothing is going on. So we had to go downstairs for a bit to get that. We were in and out of the xray room in like 20 min and back upstairs. We had more waiting around and then they let us know all her labs and reports came back fine and that nothing was obstructing her stomach. Though she did have a lot of gas. They said the miralax should be stopped and that it was probably causing the gas since she had so much yesterday. Finally it was chemo time, and that hour went by pretty fast. About maybe 20 min into it, Taylor started complaining about her tummy hurting. That seems like confirmation of the chemo making her tummy hurt. But other than a complaint here or there, she did great. While we were there the kids and I played 3 games of candy land, watched some volunteers do a science experiment, played other games, (I) caught up on words with friends, and they watched tv. The Doc gave us a real prescription for the magic mouthwash and some pain medicine. Those will come in handy. By the time we were done, it was 1:40 and we were starving for lunch. So we grabbed some food in the food court. Taylor also ate snack and a little bit of lunch today. So that is good. And then we were off.
She is still complaining of her tummy here and there. She ate a small dinner and played and watched tv. Soon after she went to bed, she was awake crying again. Ugh, I was hoping she would be okay tonight. We gave her the nausea medicine this morning and this afternoon. So she has not thrown up at all, which is good. This waking up thing is so weird. it is almost like she keept having nightmares. She starts screaming out something and crying and moaning and wiggling. Sometimes even scratching her legs or something. Sort of like she is hurt and/or scared or all itchy or something. Sometimes it is small outburts, and other times big outburts. Sometimes it us just really quick and others long and drawn out where I need to tend to her. It is not fun for anyone... poor thing. I can't imagine what she feels like. Once again, I moved her to my bed to spare the other girls from being awakened.
All in all, things are okay. We are making it through everything without major problems. Hopefully this week is less eventful than last.
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